Combine garden fresh pesto with chicken to make this deliciously simple yet flavorful Pesto Chicken Soup in the Instant Pot or on the stove top!
This past summer was a hot one in Arizona – temps soared over 115. Rain was minimal. Days were nothing but pure, full sun
Now that it has cooled down, I really get a bit sad that my garden isn’t as prolific as it once was. I am always looking forward to making a really GOOD soup.
This soup is SO soy so easy to make at home – a little of this, a little of that, a whizz of the food processor and voila!
Even better? If you don’t have the time to make pesto, just buy some prepared pesto and call it a day. It doesn’t need to be complicated!
Season with a bit more salt and keep that pesto in canning jars to use on pasta, as a dip, or in this soup for the rest of the week. It really is a good way to use up a ton of greens!
Pesto Chicken Soup
Preparing soup with pesto might sound off the wall, but it’s a delicious soup that can be doctored up to reflect the loves and likes of even the smallest little people. For this particular recipe, throw 2 [thawed] chicken breasts and a half cup of water in your Instant Pot for 15 minutes.
Then, release the pressure and shredded with a fork.
Drain the liquid, put the chicken back in the pot, and throw in a few tablespoons of butter. Allow the “warm” feature melt the butter. Then mix in a few tablespoons of flour to make a roux before adding in the chicken broth and heavy cream.
Once the mixture thickens up, add the chicken, prepared pesto, salt and the cooked/drained rotini pasta.
This pesto chicken soup is delicious – and my favorite soup recipe by far. It’s creamy, flavorful, rich, and satisfying enough to make this a permanent part of your future dinner rotations.
My kiddos love a little spice in their soup, so I added a few red pepper flakes – yum!
Pesto Chicken Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts thawed
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 C. chicken broth
- 1/2 C. heavy cream or half and half
- 3 Tbsp prepared pesto find recipe far above
- 4-5 oz. rotini pasta dry
- 1/2 tsp salt to taste
Garnish:
- slivered almonds
- sour cream
- sliced red bell peppers
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Throw your pasta in a small saucepan, cover with water, and cook for 8-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In your Instant Pot, place the thawed chicken breasts, along with 1/2 C. water. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes. Quick release, remove the chicken and shred. Toss the liquid.
- Place the butter in the Instant Pot on warm function; once melted, add the flour, and mix with the butter to create a thick paste - a roux.
- Add your chicken broth and heavy cream and place pot on "soup" function. Allow the roux to thicken the broth for just a few minutes, then add the heavy cream, pesto, shredded chicken and pesto.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Soup should be ready to ladle into bowls - garnish with slivered almonds, sour cream, sliced bells, and chopped cilantro.
- Refrigerate leftovers & enjoy within 48 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
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